30 April,2009 02:25 PM IST | | AFP
Defending champion Jelena Jankovic needed just over an hour to breeze past Slovakian teenager Dominika Cibulkova 6-1, 6-1 yesterday and book her place in the second round of Stuttgart's WTA tournament.
Having finished last year as world number one, Jankovic has dropped to fourth in the WTA rankings but the 24-year-old had no problems against her first round opponent as she bids to defend her title here on clay.
"I have struggled for form recently and it is important to enjoy my tennis and I enjoyed that today," said Jankovic.
"I expected a tough match, because in the past she has given me trouble.
"But I was serving well and I am happy to be back on clay, it feels like my form is returning."
As third seed here behind new world number one Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva, Jankovic will face Germany's Sabine Lisicki in the second round following her 6-4, 6-3 win over Switzerland's Patty Schnyder.
Earlier teenager Victoria Azarenka became the first seed to go out when she lost her second round game to Argentina's Gisela Dulko in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
Having beaten the fourth seed, the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires will now play the winner of Thursday's clash between Russian's Svetlana Kuznetsova and China's Na Li in the next round.
Fifth-seed Kuznetsova booked her place in the second round after she was taken to three sets by local heroine Andrea Petkovic.
Having earned herself a match point in the second, the Russian was broken back by the plucky German and eventually lost the second set before going on to win 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 as the game lasted just over two hours.
"It was a game of ups and downs, especially in the second set," said Kuznetsova, ranked ninth in the world. "I was disappointed with my serves and then I blew the chance to win the game early.
"I should have taken both the first two sets and then it went to a third."
Kuznetsova said she was looking forward to another tough match against Li as the pair played each other three times last year and the Chinese player handed the Russian an early exit from the Olympics.
"It is going to be a tough match, I played her a lot last year," said the Russian, who has beaten Li five times in total on the WTA tour to the Chinese player's two wins.
"I have to be more focused than I was today and concentrate harder."
Russian compatriot and last year's finalist Nadia Petrova also made it into the second round after beating China's Jie Zheng 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a marathon game which lasted just under two and a half hours.
Sixth-seed Petrova hit 13 aces, but was broken in the second set while her Chinese opponent defended both her break points before the Russian dominated the third set.
